


Dance of the Moon Spirit

by FamiliarBoomerang (ThisIsTheDungeonThatNeverEnds)



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst and Feels, Apologies, Canon Compliant, Cultural References, Forgiveness, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Interpretative Dance, POV Zuko (Avatar), Past Sokka/Yue (Avatar), Platonic Male/Male Relationships, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-16 09:29:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29573898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisIsTheDungeonThatNeverEnds/pseuds/FamiliarBoomerang
Summary: There was a weight of importance to the dance, the way it reminded him of a water bending form, but different.  The footwork was heavy and rhythmic, but the arm movements were fluid and graceful.  Zuko wished he understood this dance that was like a language of its own, but he got the distinct feeling he wasn't meant to understand it.Zuko learns the full story of the Siege of the North.
Relationships: Sokka & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	Dance of the Moon Spirit

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to mostly-mundane-atla on Tumblr for their input on the use of Iniupiaq culture in this fic and helping me be as respectful as possible in portraying their traditions. You should all check out their blog if you haven't already.

He'd regret it in the morning, Zuko knew. The "night" only lasted a few hours this time of year in the South Pole, after which the sun would rise at midnight and the fire bender's inner flame would burn with too much vigor to allow him to sleep. Even so, Zuko had heard that the shipyard was gorgeous in the light of a full moon, and he had to see for himself.

The quiet calmness of the night was comforting; there was only the sound of his boots on the partially thawed ground and the waves gently lapping against the rocks and the hulls of Water Tribe and Fire Nation ships alike, peacefully docked side by side. 

Zuko stopped on the rocky shore and took in the view of the moon's rippling reflection in the crystal clear ocean. He breathed deeply through his nose and let the familiar smell of salt water surround him. He'd spent his formative years at sea and seen enough water to least a dozen lives, but something about _this_ ocean and _this_ full moon was striking in a way he couldn't put to words. Perhaps it was the two years of peace after a century of war that lead him here. Perhaps he had never truly let himself _see_ the beauty of nature for what it was (after all, he hadn't exactly been there for the view during his first visit to these shores.) Or maybe it was the way the short-lived summer moon seemed almost alive, as if it was watching him. Not watching him in some threatening way; more like a protector. A guiding light.

This guiding light felt like it was calling him, pulling him to continue his way down the shore away from the shipyard towards...singing?

Zuko definitely heard a single voice singing as he walked along the rocky beach. As he grew closer, he could also hear accompanying rhythmic footsteps and a crackling fire on the other side of a large rock formation. Moving carefully around the boulders, stepping sideways with his back pressed against them so as not to tumble into the frigid water, felt shamefully like he was sneaking up on the source of the music. But his curiosity, fed by the ever growing call of the moon to push forward, drowned out the voice in his head that told him spying on this singer was wrong. He was close enough to recognize that the voice was very familiar (though he still could not make out any words to the song) by the time he bothered to wonder _why_ the moon was guiding him. Tui was a Water Tribe spirit, were't they? Why would the original water bender be calling out to a fire bender?

Zuko rounded the rock formation and finally caught sight of the singer, who was also dancing next to a crackling fire. The shadows obscured his face, but Zuko could tell by the mans silhouette alone, as well as the boomerang propped up against the rucksack on the ground, that it was Sokka. Zuko was transfixed and a bit shocked at the sight of Sokka singing and dancing by a campfire, but the more he watched, the more he got the feeling that this wasn't being done for fun or laughs by the young warrior. There was a weight of importance to it, the way it reminded him of a water bending form, but different. The footwork was heavy and rhythmic, but the arm movements were fluid and graceful. He wish he understood this dance that was like a language of its own, but he got the distinct feeling he wasn't meant to understand it. 

He was intruding, Zuko knew now. This was personal for Sokka, and watching and listening to it felt tantamount to reading Sokka's personal journal without permission. So against the moon's call, he turned to leave. Unfortunately, he turned a bit to quickly and lost his footing on a smooth, wet stone and fell face first into the water with a loud _SPLASH_. 

By the time he'd managed to fumble himself back up to his feet, Sokka was already there holding out a hand to help him keep steady.

"For the love of La, Zuko you scared me half to death, what are you doing out here!" Sokka yelled as Zuko too his hand and let himself be lead out of the water.

"I...um..." Zuko stammered from embarrassment. "I was going for a walk and I heard singing so... sorry."

Sokka sighed and dropped Zuko's hand. "It's fine. I needed to stop for the night anyway. Come on." Sokka motioned for Zuko to follow him and started walking back toward his campfire. "You need to warm up and dry off before we head back to the village."

Zuko didn't question Sokka and wordlessly followed him. He sat close to the fire and took a deep breath, exhaling a flicker of fire. Sokka dug into his rucksack and pulled out a bag of seal jerky. He passed it to Zuko in a wordless offering, and Zuko took a piece with a grateful nod. 

"So why were you still awake anyway?" Sokka asked, sitting cross legged next to Zuko. "Not a lot of darkness for Mister 'I rise with the sun' to sleep during, you know."

"Yeah, I know," Zuko agreed. "I guess I just felt like taking in the view."

"Yeah," Sokka said with a wistful sigh and turned his head up toward the moon. "She's beautiful tonight." 

Zuko paused mid chew. "She?" he asked with his mouth full of jerky.

"The moon. Yue."

"I thought Tui was the moon spirit."

Sokka's face fell. "You were there," Sokka said softly, with a note of sadness in his voice, "so sometimes I forget you don't know the whole story." Sokka picked up a stick and started poking the logs in the fire. "That's actually what that song and dance you saw was about. In the Water Tribes, especially in the Southern Tribe, we pass our history on through songs and dances that tell stories." 

"So, you're writing a song about the Northern tribe's princess?"

Sokka nodded. "And making a dance. She deserves it."

They sat in silence for a while and finished off the rest of the jerky before Zuko worked up the courage to ask, "So, what _did_ actually happen in the Northern Water Tribe that I don't know about?"

"We went to the North Pole to find a water bending teacher for Aang and Katara," Sokka began. "I met her at her birthday dinner and asked her out."

Zuko laughed. "You asked out a Princess at her own birthday party?"

Sokka smirked. "Yeah, I was pretty smooth. She fell for me in an instant."

"Oh, I'm sure," Zuko said with a sarcastic tone, rolling his eyes.

Sokka shoved Zuko's shoulder playfully, "Hey, it's true! Anyway, we met on the bridge and she..." Sokka's comedy died out. "She told me we couldn't be together. Turns out she was already engaged to some hotshot warrior's know-it-all son."

Zuko hummed and nodded. He let Sokka gather his thoughts before continuing.

"You remember when the sky went red?"

"Yeah."

"Zhao killed Tui. The moon spirit in the pond in the Spirit Oasis. It had never even occurred to me that the moon could...could _die_. But Yue, she was blessed by Tui as a baby so she had part of the spirit's life inside her. She gave it up to save the moon."

"She," Zuko stared dumbfounded at Sokka, "She sacrificed herself to bring the moon back to life?"

Sokka nodded slowly. 

Zuko's eyes widened, "Wait," he said, horrified, "That's what you meant when you said your girlfriend turned into the moon?!"

Again, Sokka nodded.

"Sokka, I...I'm sorry." Zukko looked away from Sokka and bowed his head.

He did this. Not directly; he'd never even known Zhao's real intentions. But still. He'd let it happen.

"I mean it, Sokka. I'm apologizing for me personally. If I hadn't taken Aang from the oasis, you and Aang and Katara would have been there to stop Zhao. You.." Zuko's voice cracked, and and he breathed slowly to calm himself. He refused to cry for a death he caused in front of the man who'd grieved, who was obviously still grieving, that loss. "You guys could been there to save Tui. But you weren't. Because of me."

Sokka sniffled and let out a ragged breath. When Zuko looked up, he saw tears reflecting the firelight on Sokka's face. "Yeah, Zuko, I can't lie and say I was never angry at you for that. To be honest I..."

"You what," Zuko insisted. "Tell me, Sokka. It's the least I deserve for-"

"Will you cut the self-loathing crap!" Sokka yelled, causing Zuko to flinch. "It doesn't help!"

Zuko lowered his head again. "I'm sorry."

Sokka huffed in frustration. "So yeah. To be honest I kinda hated you for that. That's one reason on top of everything else I didn't want you anywhere near us at the Air Temple. But I let you in for Aang's sake."

"Is that why you tolerate me? For Aang's sake."

"Zuko," Sokka laid a hand on Zuko's shoulder. "I don't feel that way anymore. I've accepted her choice, and I've accepted you're apology. You're my best friend, Zuko, I mean it. You aren't the person you were back then. I know that." Sokka looked back up at the moon. "I like to think she knows that, too."

Perhaps, Zuko thought, this was the reason the moon guided him here. It, no, _SHE. Yue_ wanted him to know what happened to her. She _wanted_ him to see Sokka's dance and hear his song.

Zuko turned his face upward to the moon and closed his eyes, letting Yue's light wash over him. He felt her strength, her calm, her peace. He felt her forgiveness and finally let a tear escape his unscarred eye.

"Yeah," he agreed. "I like to think so, too." 


End file.
